diff --git a/projects/echoes-of-the-forest/staging/character-state-ch-13.md b/projects/echoes-of-the-forest/staging/character-state-ch-13.md
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--- a/projects/echoes-of-the-forest/staging/character-state-ch-13.md
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@@ -1,40 +1,36 @@
 # Character State: ch-13
 
 ## ELARA VANCE
-Location: The Threshold / Edge of the Elderwood
-Physical: High spiritual exhaustion; Sigil on right palm remains active but dim; mud-stained clothing.
-Emotional: Resolute yet burdened by the weight of leadership.
-Active obligations: Owes Kaelen protection (Ch-06) — UNPAID
-Open loops: Elara & Council [Corruption Reckoning] (Ch-12) — UNRESOLVED
-Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): Council's role in Blight origin (evidence possessed) -- Kaelen unaware
-Arc: 100% — State maintained as the permanent Voice of the Forest; transitions into an era of reconstruction.
+Location: Inner Sanctum of the Heart-Root/Threshold
+Physical: Silver-white Sigil bonded to right palm; moderate spiritual exhaustion; bruised ribs; mud-stained damp clothing
+Emotional: Transcendent but weary; carries heavy forest restoration responsibility
+Active obligations: owes Kaelen protection (Ch-06) -- UNPAID
+Open loops: Elara & Council Corruption Reckoning (Ch-12) -- UNRESOLVED
+Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): knows Council's role in Blight origin (evidence possessed) -- Kaelen does NOT know
+Arc: 100% -- No permanent change this chapter; arc completed previously as proactive Voice of the Forest accepting sacrificial leadership
 Permanent: YES
 
 ## KAELEN
-Location: The Threshold / Edge of the Elderwood
-Physical: Severe scarring on left arm; stamina recovering slowly; requires assistance for long travel.
-Emotional: Quietly devoted; finds purpose in being the shield for the Vessel.
+Location: Threshold of the Heart-Root
+Physical: Left arm mangled/scarred; weak, pale; stable, long-term recovery needed
+Emotional: Stoic, contemplative; at peace with guardian identity
 Active obligations: None
 Open loops: None
-Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): Sun-Guard bloodline -- Elara unaware; CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): Grove map location -- Elara unaware
-Arc: 100% — Finalized role as protector; accepts the slow path of physical healing.
+Known secrets: CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): knows Sun-Guard bloodline -- Elara does NOT know; CARRIED (Ch-12--unresolved): knows Grove map location -- Elara does NOT know
+Arc: 100% -- No permanent change this chapter; arc completed previously with redemption and commitment to Heart-Root protection
 Permanent: YES
 
-## THORNE BLACKROOT -- DECEASED (Ch-12)
-Established: Calcified and shattered during the Heart-Root’s activation when his blight magic rebounded.
-Legacy: His death signaled the extinction of the Circle of Thorns and the end of the immediate Blight threat.
-
 # World State: ch-13
 
 ## NPC Memory
-- Mira (Oakhaven): GRATEFUL — Witnessed the restoration of the sky and the retreat of the Blight; acts as the bridge between Elara and the village refugees.
+- Mira (Oakhaven): GRATEFUL -- witnessed clearing sky -- will likely support Elara against Council investigation
 
 ## Faction Attitudes
-- Circle of Thorns: EXTINCT — Leadership destroyed; remaining members scattered or purged by the forest’s resurgence.
-- Forest Spirits (Elderwood): TRIUMPHANT — Actively reclaiming territory and purging the last remnants of decay.
-- Council of Oakhaven: CRUMBLING — Losing grip on power as their past complicity in the Blight’s origin begins to surface.
+- Circle of Thorns: EXTINCT -- scouts fled; magical resonance destroyed; Thorne Blackroot deceased (calcified/shattered)
+- Forest Spirits (Elderwood): VIBRANT -- actively reshaping environment; singing new growth
+- Council of Oakhaven: PARIAHS -- political collapse imminent; survivors questioning complicity in Blight
 
 ## Active World Events
-- The Great Weaving: ONGOING — A global-scale magical reforestation process.
-- The Council's Reckoning: ASCENDING — Political instability in Oakhaven as truth-seekers investigate the Blight's true source.
-- Elderwood Restoration: PERMANENT — The Heart-Root is now the dominant magical anchor for the region.
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+- The Great Weaving: ONGOING -- magical reforestation reclaiming scorched lands
+- Heart-Root Activation: PERMANENT -- pulse steady/expanding; actively healing corrupted zones
+- The Council's Reckoning: EMERGING -- political tension rising as Blight's true origin becomes public
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